Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary E. O'Dowd will host a conference call with business and health leaders tomorrow, Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 10:30am to announce a statewide campaign to engage more employers in hosting blood drives in their workplaces this summer.

Representatives of Rutgers University, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey League of Municipalities, the New Jersey Hospital Association, Virtua Health and the New Jersey Society for Environmental, Economic Development will join the commissioner on the call to discuss their plans for blood drives this summer.

Blood donations decrease during the summer when people are vacationing, but hospital and patient needs remain the same year-round. Employers can help maintain an adequate blood supply by hosting blood drives and making donations convenient for donors. Workplace drives enable employees to donate without leaving the office, and employers can take the lead in highlighting the need for blood and inviting employees to donate.

The statewide Summer Blood Drive Campaign is being hosted by the New Jersey Workplace Blood Donor Coalition, which is co-chaired by Commissioner O'Dowd and Kevin Rigby, vice president and head of public affairs and communications at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

The businesses and trade associations participating in the call are among the 15 members of the

New Jersey Workplace Blood Donor Coalition, which was co-founded in 2008. As part of the summer campaign, 400 packets of blood drive promotional materials went out to medium-to-large businesses and trade and professional associations on May 21st with a letter co-signed by Commissioner O'Dowd and Rigby. These materials are available on the Coalition's website at www.njsave3lives.com. Commissioner O'Dowd is also asking fellow cabinet officers to hold blood drives at their agencies this summer.